US COVID-19 hospitalization disparities lessened but persisted in vaccine era

News brief

An analysis by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists of more than 350,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients reveals that racial and ethnic disparities declined but persisted in the era of vaccination.

The researchers assessed data from the COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) from 353,807 patients who had hospital stays at any point from March 2020 through August 2022. Vaccines were rolled out in December 2020. The group published its findings today in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The CDC scientists found that hospitalization rates were higher among Hispanic, Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) people versus White people during the study period, but the magnitude of the disparities declined over time. In Hispanic patients, the relative risk (RR) dropped from 6.7 in June 2020 to less than 2.0 after July 2021. For AI/AN patients, the RR dropped from 8.4 to less than 2.0 after March 2022, and for Black populations it declined from 5.3 to less than 2.0 after February 2022.

Developing strategies to ensure equitable access to vaccination and treatment remains important.

Among 8,706 patients hospitalized from July 2021 through August 2022, hospital and intensive care unit admission rates were higher for Hispanic, Black, and AI/AN patients than White patients but lower than White patients among Asians and Pacific Islanders. All minority race and ethnicity groups had higher in-hospital mortality rates than did White patients (RR range, 1.4 to 2.9).

The authors conclude, "Developing strategies to ensure equitable access to vaccination and treatment remains important."

CWD detected on Michigan deer farm

News brief

Stephanie Soucheray, MA

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in a farmed white-tailed deer in Newaygo County, Michigan, according to a statement from the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.

The disease was detected during routine surveillance for CWD among Michigan's farmed deer population. CWD was first detected in farmed deer in Michigan in 2008, and has since been found on 11 cervid farms, including this latest case, in four counties: Kent (2 detections), Mecosta (4), Montcalm (3), and Newaygo (2). Cervids are members of the deer family, including moose and elk.

CWD was first detected in free-ranging deer in the state in 2015 and has now been confirmed in 11 Michigan counties, but no free-ranging white-tailed deer have tested positive for CWD in Newaygo County, which is in the western part of the Lower Peninsula.

"Limiting the spread and impact of CWD on Michigan's farmed cervid herds hinges on the ability to detect the disease early and respond promptly," said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland, DVM.

Limiting the spread and impact of CWD on Michigan's farmed cervid herds hinges on the ability to detect the disease early and respond promptly.

CWD is a fatal prion disease widely detected in cervids in North America, several Nordic countries, and South Korea. Though CWD has yet to be found in humans, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend against consuming CWD-infected venison.